Tampa Bay area artist creating work with vibrant dialogue of culture

TAMPA, Fla. – Ketsy Ruiz, known artistically as Sketzii, is a “military brat” who grew up moving across the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. This constant back-and-forth embedded her Puerto Rican culture deeply within her, shaping her identity and, consequently, her art. 

The backstory:

She credits her illustrative style to a love of cartoons and the Disney Renaissance, focusing on visual storytelling.

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Her work is visually striking, employing a color story directly inspired by the architecture and ambiance of Puerto Rico — the vibrant flora, fauna and the bright paints of the houses. However, Sketzii uses this inherent vibrancy to create a compelling contrast. 

While the colors suggest happiness, her pieces often house a more complex, serious dialogue about the experience of being in-between cultures. She explores personal narratives, such as the teenage struggle to fit in by knowing what’s “cool” in both places, and the adult reflection on what “the dream” truly is for her parents and herself. 

Sketzii also uses technology like the SketchVR app to superimpose her sketches onto canvases, streamlining her process.

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Dig deeper:

Sketzii views art as a critical outlet for processing personal issues and telling universal stories. Her goal is to create work that is legible and illustrative so that viewers can “read it” and interpret the stories for themselves.

The core power of her art lies in its ability to unify and build empathy. By making her deeply personal stories about navigating the hyphen of identity (e.g., “American-Puerto Rican”) accessible through a visually engaging medium, she allows people from entirely different backgrounds to see themselves, their struggles, or simply gain sympathy for the experiences of another group. 

The iconography of Puerto Rico — the palm trees, the ambiance — serves as the rich backdrop for these profound, relatable human stories.

Find out more about her work and view her portfolio by clicking here. 

The Source: The information in this story was gathered during an interview with the artist Sketzii.

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